Passion Pit at The Truman, Kansas City MO (2026-06-20)

During “The Reeling” something had the band reeling, and the only cure was Pedialyte, hot tea, and a vocally loud, Kansas City crowd–

Massachusetts indie electro-pop group Passion Pit have returned to the road, with an updated lineup and the promise of long-awaited new music on their The Pretty Penny Tour, which made a downtown Kansas City stop at The Truman.

The evening got underway with a high-energy opening set from LA-based Arden Jones, a rising singer, songwriter, and rapper from the Bay Area, who has released EPs, an ongoing age tape series, and a handful of singles, via Atlantic Records and Vnclm_.

Jones’ sound is beach-influenced and blends pop, hip-hop, and alternative, with his initial breakthrough being in 2020 with debut single, “Parallel Parking,” which went viral on TikTok. Most recent singles have been “someone new” which closed his set and “deadlove” which he and his DJ opened with. Jones also managed to work in a Phoenix cover that went over well with the audience- sincere, relatable, and a party starter, we’re eager to see what Jones is up to next.

During the first decade of this century, Boston’s Passion Pit evolved from a simple bedroom pop project crafting a few songs as a belated Valentine’s Day gift, into one of the leading generational voices of the so-called indietronica movement and quickly rose to playing massive festivals and large rooms worldwide.

Frontman Michael Angelakos was not afraid to share his challenges with mental health and related maladies as the band shot to ‘overnight’ fame- a sensitive topic that is much more accepted to openly talk about today, thanks in part to pop culture, sports and celebrity names like himself, who freely share their own experiences. Fast forward, and Angelakos is now maybe the happiest he’s ever been- recently married and calling the current tour, his most enjoyable one to date.

In terms of new music, Angelakos has promised a lot of songs are in the can (some works in progress can be heard on his Substack), with the EP that the tour is named after, to be released “imminently” and a new full-length, Nine Times Your Torch Songs, to follow. In the meantime, we’ll have to be happy with these live shows and the older favorites that everyone in the crowd still can all easily sing a-long to.

As for the show itself, everything got properly underway with hit, “The Reeling” from 2009 and the crowd singing back the “Oh, no!” bits from the chorus back at the band…but then, an actual “Oh No!” moment, as there was a sudden drop in Angelakos’ usually seamless falsetto tone. “I have no idea what just happened to my voice!,” asking that the fog be turned off as crew members rushed out Pedialyte and hot tea.

“We’re gonna make it through!” he announced, and the show carried on, with Angelakos pushing his voice and pushing through the songs, so professionally that any late arrivals probably wouldn’t have noticed much difference. The band’s current stage set-up also maybe actually helped his recovering- gear placed everywhere, enough so that it mostly hid the back half of the band, and Angelakos no longer frantically pacing the stage in loose dress shirt and tie, but instead now seated and surrounded by levels of keyboards on three sides.

Angelakos kept apologizing for his condition, but the fans were more than forgiving, not having seen the band play a local gig in more than a decade (Oct 20, 2015 at The Midland?!, wow) and this only encouraged everyone to singer louder, maybe most evidenced on 2012’s “Take a Walk” as the crowd out-sang the band, with both arms up and forward and back, on cue.

While that song succeeds on its infectious chorus and substantive lyrics about different third-party ‘slice of life’ stories, the newer songs seem more personal and mature, like “Remembering You” dedicated to his mother, and the show closing, “To Mend Two Broken Vessels…” dedicated to his late father-in-law, and about his new wife.

The flow of the set remained cinematic and ebbed and flowed as the songs presented themselves, with the current lineup (active since last year): Giuliano Pizzulo (lead guitar, samples, synthesizers) Eric Scullin (bass, synthesizers) Denzel Cox (organs, synthesizers) and Ben Barter (drums, drum machine) seemingly from very different backgrounds, but more than able to cohesively connect with their collective and unassuming expert musicianship. Pizzulo remains staged next to Angelakos now into his second decade, and Barter has filled in over the years in between runs with Lorde, but it’s mostly a 2.0 version of members.

“You guys are amazing, thanks so much for participating,” Angelakos said, appreciating the crowd in being more than able to amplify the verses where needed. The audience was rewarded with deeper tracks like the unreleased favorite, “Everything’s Stephanie” and the new “Once Upon Your Balcony” which is expected on the upcoming full-length.

The sun-bright synths of 2012’s breakup hit, “Constant Conversations” had the audience “oh, oh, oh-ing” back at the choruses, and as the main set continued, Angelakos was feeling recovered enough to stand on his bench to lead the crowd, and get out up front, fist in the air.

“Carried Away”, “Little Secrets” and especially breakthrough hit “Sleepyhead” turned a simple concert into a bit of a rave, with anyone previously enjoying the show in a pedestrian manner, now in full dancing mode- drinks, phones, and hands in the air.

For the encore, Angelakos strode out alone with an acoustic guitar and sat up front for the tender ballad; at first asking for the crowd to be quieter but then corrected himself, saying a ticket buyer should be allowed to behave and appreciate the show, in any best way they feel.

Due to the circumstances, the final song listed, “Alone (On Ice!)/Sleepyhead reprise” was skipped, but after delivering the previous ninety minutes under some duress, it was more than understandable.

With an evident greater peace of mind, some maturely evolved songwriting, and an updated refreshed band lineup, The Pretty Penny Tour seems like a turning of the page to a new chapter for Passion Pit, who seem genuinely excited for the upcoming music and their future to come. We’re happy to be along for the ride as well and hope to catch them again when the new record releases.​​

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ARDEN JONES

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